Wildcats’ start baseball season with series win;

Incoming transfers and freshmen make impact in first weekend of action

Matt Swinea, Sports Information Director

McKenzie, Tenn. – The Bethel Wildcat baseball team started their 2007 campaign going 2-1-1 over a talented team from Missouri Valley College.  There has been a great deal of talk about the incoming transfers and the freshman class and neither disappointed.  Mix in the new players with the returners and Bethel looks to have a quality ball team.  Bethel got great pitching efforts from their starting staff to go with some solid defensive play. 

On Friday, game one had newcomer Tyler Newman (Jr./Henderson, Tenn.) on the hill.  Newman threw six strong innings giving up only six hits and two earned runs.  In his third year for the Wildcats, Landon Wood (Jr./Lexington, Tenn.) came in to pitch one inning of scoreless ball.  But, the Bethel bats were quiet.  The Wildcats only managed two hits in the game and were not able to push in a run.  The Vikings ended up taking the first game 2-0.  The Wildcats responded in game 2 with a 5-3 win.  Lefty Jon Patterson (Fr./Lexington) towed the rubber and he pitched well, giving up only two hits and one earned run in 6.1 innings of work earning his first collegiate win.  Jonathan Neely (Jr./Cullman, Ala.) got the save retiring the last two batters in order.  Bethel got the bats going early, scoring three runs in the first inning.  Transfer Alex Whitmore (Sr./Nashville, Tenn.) was 2 for 3 with two RBI.  Bethel’s new 6’7” first baseman Jonathon Keck (Fr./Lexington, Tenn.) wasted little time hitting his first collegiate homerun, a two run shot, as he went 1 for 3 with two RBI.  Heath Sharp making the transition from catcher to right field was a perfect 3 for 3 on the day scoring one run.

On Saturday, local fans got to see a pitcher they are very familiar with in Drew Hayes (Fr./McKenzie, Tenn.).  Hayes picked up his first college win pitching a complete game allowing only one run and stuck out 12.  He hit a triple in the bottom of the fifth that ended up scoring to tie the game at one.  In the top of the sixth Hayes got out of a bases loaded on-out jam by striking out the side.  Hayes finished that up striking out the side in the top of the seventh to claim the win 2-1.  Whitmore provided the go ahead run in the bottom of the sixth with a sac fly scoring Seth Stanfill (Jr./Lexington, Tenn.).  In the final game new transfer Blake Willis (Jr./Newburn, Tenn.) pitched a good game scattering three hits in 4.1 innings.  Bethel opened up a five to nothing lead through the fifth.  Shortstop Scott Dean (Fr./Jackson, Tenn.) went 1 for 4 with a run scored.  Hayes was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI.  Whitmore added another RBI going 1 for 4.  Keck “wowed” the crowd with a monster homerun over the right field fence for his second in two days.  But, the Vikings came back scoring two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh to send the game into extra innings.  The teams had a couple of chances to score but after two more innings the game remained tied 5-5.  Darkness set in and the game had to be called.